"So do you just eat salad?"

Posted on November 24, 2014

UGH!

I'm currently embarking a diet challenge this month which consists of me not having meat of any kind until Thanksgiving. Sadly, this is what my mom told me when I was getting my hair done 2 weeks ago. It could have been spurred by my bf's joke about what I'll have for dinner, but I get the feeling this is how a lot of people view a vegetarian/vegan diet. Even as an omnivore, I'm offended!

This challenge has definitely shown me there are MANY yummy options than just salad, and even salads can be exciting! So yes, I eat salads (like today's lunch: apple, red cabbage, brussels sprouts, raisins, and chickpeas with homemade dressing), but I also have stir-fries, soups/stews, burritos, pizza, pita wraps, pasta, etc. Heck, even rolls (mmm, spring rolls). Thank god I love beans and tofu! And as I'm going the vegetarian route, I can have eggs (love), cheese (double love), milk (although it's almond usually since the bf is lactose-intolerant) and yogurt (life-saver).

Do I miss meat? Of course, especially after having to turn down free tacos. But I feel good about my choice and I'm adding new veggies to my palate (mexican squash, oooh!). And apparently I'm getting results: certain clothing items feel loose and I have received compliments not only from my mom, but also my bf's dad!

It also pleased me greatly when I took my mom to a vegan restaurant and she thoroughly enjoyed their "fried chicken" dish so much that she ordered another for my dad (but I'm sure she ate some too!).

I only have a couple more days of explaining myself to people, but I think this challenge will still impact me and my choices as I rediscover the taste of turkey.

Comment Now!

Julie Lama

11/26/2014 11:55AM

Sometimes it is exhausting explaining ourselves. But it is good to explore what is right for us. We should all try to give people room to figure out what works for them.

Biking Syl

11/25/2014 2:49PM

After 25 years of mostly vegetarian eating, I came to the conclusion that I can eat just as much vegetarian crap food as crappy meat dishes. It is all about the quality of the groceries and the cook's creativity.
Sounds like you are well on your way to discover and come up with tasty, nutritious vegetarian options!

Over time, I also got tired of the 'explaining' part of it. My suggestion: Make up a health-related reason why you try to stay away from meat/eat more fresh veggies and fruit. It shuts them up faster ;-) (example: too much protein helps to blow out your kidneys, but lots of veggies will lower your body's acidity and fight inflammation, provide tons of vitamins, among other things)

I love to discuss nutrition with someone, who is interested in the subject. But I no longer try to convince people to turn vegetarian. I also don't want to be convinced to go back to meat. And it would be great, if people could just respect that ;-)

Have fun with your challenge! :-)

Marcie

11/24/2014 5:39PM

Love that you tried this and it opened up a whole new world of possibilities for you!

Els momma

11/24/2014 3:59PM

Your challenge is awesome. It's always nice to see a different side of food. It probably makes you be more creative with food. Great job staying committed! Thanks for the blog.

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MandiLynn

11/24/2014 1:22PM

Love this! I was a veggie for maybe a year in high school - but I mostly ate pasta and cheese. Now, I eat meat, but have a MUCH more veggie-filled diet. Go figure. ;)

One of my best friends and former roomies is vegan. We all love to give her crap for it, but what food is more REAL than fruits/veggies/whole grains, right?! There are SO many delicious things you can still eat as a veggie/vegan... I think people tend to forget that because it become so easy to make a 'meat/carb/veggie' dinner.

I went vegan for two month at the beginning of 2013 and was positive the thing I missed most would be cheese. It wasn't by a long shot! My most-missed food item? Egg yolk!

Good luck with the rest of your challenge! I hope you got to discover some new 'go-to' meatless meals! :)

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Soup

11/24/2014 1:03PM

That's awesome. I do love some meat so I do not know how I could go 100% without any meat. There are quite a few awesome substitutes now which makes eating vegan/vegetarian way easy. Good for you and great job on sticking to it even though you have to explain your diet all the time. :-)

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